States › West Virginia › Boone County

Boone County, West Virginia

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 54005 · 21,312 residents (2021) · 502 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 56Tornado · 0Flood · 76Wind · 222Winter · 67

Boone County within West Virginia. Dots: HailFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 509 storm events in Boone County, West Virginia, led by damaging wind.

That is 101.5 events per 100 square miles, in line with the West Virginia figure of 124.4, and 238.8 per 10,000 residents against 167.7 statewide.

48 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 2 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $13M.

FEMA has designated the county in 31 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 24 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 477 claims since 1978, of which 410 were paid, totalling $3.9M (about $9K per paid claim). FEMA counts 155 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($19M a year across 18 hazards).

5 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

48events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

509events since 19502 deaths, 2 injuries recorded

31disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

477NFIP flood claims$3.9M paid

Compared with West Virginia and the United States

Measure	Boone County	West Virginia	US
Recorded events since 1950	509	29,901	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	101.5	124.4	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	238.8	167.7	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	48	1,790	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	2	153	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$13M	$1.3B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	22.4	15.7	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$9K	$16K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	14.8	23.2	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Hail: 4

Wind: 1

Hail: 2Wind: 1

Hail: 10Flood: 5Wind: 15Winter: 9Heat: 8Cold: 12Drought: 7Wildfire: 1Other: 1

Hail: 23Flood: 17Wind: 42Winter: 7Heat: 10Cold: 10Drought: 5Wildfire: 2Other: 10

Hail: 11Flood: 18Wind: 56Winter: 24Heat: 2Cold: 5Wildfire: 1Other: 2

Hail: 6Flood: 36Wind: 107Winter: 27Cold: 3Drought: 9

01950s41960s11970s31980s681990s1262000s1192010s1882020s

Recorded events in Boone County by decade and hazard group. HailFloodWindWinterHeatColdDroughtWildfireOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 309 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 159 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind222

Flood76

Winter67

Hail56

Cold30

Drought21

Heat20

Other13

Wildfire4

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	222	1	2.2%	detail
■ Flood	76	1	1.8%	detail
■ Winter	67	—	0.9%	detail
■ Hail	56	—	1.8%	detail
■ Cold	30	—	1.5%
■ Drought	21	—	2.3%
■ Heat	20	—	2.2%
■ Other	13	—	2.4%
■ Wildfire	4	—	12.5%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
11 Jan 2020	Strong Wind	Wind	52 mph	$10K	—	1	2	Forecast zone
25 Jul 2010	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	1	—	County
8 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
16 Jun 2003	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$3.0M	—	—	—	County
15 Apr 2007	Flood	Flood	—	$750K	—	—	—	County
29 Jun 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$750K	—	—	—	County
29 Oct 2012	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$750K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
18 May 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$550K	—	—	—	County
15 Feb 2003	Flood	Flood	—	$500K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
29 Jul 2001	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$300K	—	—	—	County
19 Nov 2003	Flood	Flood	—	$225K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
3 Apr 2015	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$225K	—	—	—	County
15 May 1996	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$200K	—	—	—	County
18 Dec 2009	Heavy Snow	Winter	—	$200K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
31 May 2004	Flood	Flood	—	$150K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
18 Feb 2015	Extreme Cold/Wind Chill	Cold	—	$150K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
12 Nov 2003	Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	—	—	Forecast zone
4 Mar 2015	Flood	Flood	—	$100K	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Jan 2026	EM-3639	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Feb 2025	DR-4861	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
24 May 2024	DR-4787	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
22 May 2024	DR-4783	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance
30 Jan 2024	DR-4756	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Individual assistance
20 May 2021	DR-4605	Major disaster	Flood	Severe Storms And Flooding	Public assistance
3 Apr 2020	DR-4517	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3450	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
14 May 2015	DR-4219	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
31 Mar 2015	DR-4210	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
10 Jan 2014	EM-3366	Emergency	Chemical	Chemical Spill	Public assistance
27 Nov 2012	DR-4093	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
29 Oct 2012	EM-3358	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Sandy	Public assistance
23 Jul 2012	DR-4071	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Straight-Line Winds	Individual assistance, Public assistance
30 Jun 2012	EM-3345	Emergency	Severe Storm	Severe Storms	Public assistance
2 Mar 2010	DR-1881	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm	Public assistance
1 May 2007	DR-1696	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides	Public assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3221	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
20 Sep 2004	DR-1558	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Public assistance
7 Jun 2004	DR-1522	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance
21 Nov 2003	DR-1500	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
21 Jun 2003	DR-1474	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
14 Mar 2003	DR-1455	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Record/Near Record Snow, Heavy Rains, Flooding And Landslides	Public assistance
16 Nov 2001	FM-2391	Fire management assistance	Fire	Wv - Southeast Fire Complex - 11/16/2001	Public assistance
3 Jun 2001	DR-1378	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding And Landslides	Individual assistance, Public assistance
23 May 1996	DR-1115	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding, Heavy Winds	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Jan 1996	DR-1084	Major disaster	Snowstorm	Blizzard Of 96 (Severe Snow Storm)	Public assistance
17 Mar 1993	EM-3109	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall & Winter Storm	Public assistance
24 Aug 1977	EM-3052	Emergency	Flood	Severe Storms, Landslides & Flooding	Individual assistance
27 Feb 1972	DR-323	Major disaster	Flood	Heavy Rains & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 1967	DR-224	Major disaster	Flood	Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in Boone County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 1978477

Paid claims410

Total paid$3.9M

Average paid claim$9K

Repetitive-loss properties594 severe

Residential policies in force1551.5% of 10,125 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2026	8	7	$266,396	$38,057
2025	1	1	$8,017	$8,017
2024	4	2	$11,392	$5,696
2022	1	1	$176,147	$176,147
2021	8	8	$299,341	$37,418
2017	1	1	$3,050	$3,050
2015	11	11	$140,755	$12,796
2013	1	1	$399	$399
2012	2	1	$15,000	$15,000
2011	1	1	$3,122	$3,122
2010	1	0	$0	—
2007	49	44	$775,466	$17,624
2006	1	1	$4,159	$4,159
2004	9	8	$16,215	$2,027
2003	70	59	$714,213	$12,105
2002	1	0	$0	—
2001	66	57	$465,889	$8,173
1997	6	4	$14,375	$3,594
1996	55	48	$370,762	$7,724
1994	2	2	$4,575	$2,288
1991	36	24	$124,394	$5,183
1989	3	1	$63	$63
1988	1	0	$0	—
1984	1	0	$0	—
1983	1	0	$0	—

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Lowscore 69.4 of 100

Expected annual loss$19MRelatively Low

Social vulnerabilityVery High

Community resilienceVery Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively Moderate	$17,321,712
Heat wave	Relatively Low	$385,851
Strong wind	Relatively Low	$337,381
Wildfire	Relatively Low	$162,794
Lightning	Relatively Low	$150,975
Earthquake	Very Low	$94,209
Cold wave	Very Low	$87,292
Hail	Very Low	$60,537
Tornado	Very Low	$48,736
Landslide	Relatively Moderate	$40,791
Ice storm	Relatively Low	$38,408
Hurricane	Very Low	$28,065
Winter weather	Relatively Low	$27,853
Avalanche	Relatively Low	$21,897

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles5

Tracks within 50 miles3

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Hugo	1989	33 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1934	39 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	50 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	39 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1888	91 mi	52 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

25130 136
25053 120
25114 24
25193 19
25206 19
25024 18
25047 18
25205 17
25028 14
25051 13
25181 13
25529 10
25148 7
25208 7
25108 6
25165 6
25154 5

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in Boone County, WV?

NCEI records 56 hail events in Boone County since 1950, in 28 different years; that is about 0.7 recorded events a year. 5 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has Boone County had a tornado?

NCEI records no tornado in Boone County since 1950.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for Boone County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 31 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Boone County, and how much was paid?

477 NFIP claims since 1978, 410 of them paid, for $3.9M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is Boone County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very High" for social vulnerability and "Very Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does Boone County compare with the rest of West Virginia?

101.5 recorded events per 100 square miles against 124.4 statewide, and 22.4 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 15.7. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.